The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1884, Page 23

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

23

Philip and the Ethiopian.

The Bible story which our picture illustrates
can be read in Acts 8, 26—40. The Ethiopian
was aman of great authority under Candace,
queen of the Ethiopians in Africa. He had
come to Jerusalem for to worship. On his
way home to Afriea and sitting in his chariot,
he read the prophet Isaiah. Philip, one of the}
deacons of the Church, was ordered by the
Holy Ghost to join himself to the chariot of|
the officer. Having promptly obeyed the di-
rection, he asked him whether he understood
what he was reading. ‘‘How can I,’’ was the
reply, ‘‘except some man should guide me?”’
And he desired Philip that he would come up|
and sit with him. The place he
was reading was the fifty-third chap-
ter of Isaiah, which so clearly and
beautifully sets forth the atoning
work of Christ. And Philip began
at the same Scripture and preached
unto him Jesus. He told him all
about Jesus, and showed him how
all the things of which the prophet
speaks have been fulfilled in Him,
and that God has raised Him from
the dead to be a Saviour for all men.
The Ethiopian accepted the Gospel
in true faith, and upon his confession
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
he was baptized and ‘went on his
way rejoicing.”’? His thoughts were
not occupied about himself, but
about Christ and His finished work
of redemption, in which alone he
trusted, and hence he pursued his
journey filled with peace and glad-
ness.

How great is God’s loving care
for a single soul! He took Philip
away from the crowded city of Sam-
aria, in order to provide the needed

“Couldn't Burn those Ten Chapters.”

A. Romish priest in Ireland one day met a
little boy coming across a field from the parish
school with a Bible in his hand. ‘Do you go
to that place?’’ asked the priest, pointing to
the Protestant school.

‘Yes, your reverence,’’ replied the boy.

“TY thought so,’’ said the priest, ‘by the
book you have in your hand. It is a bad
book; give it to me.’’

“That book is God’s Word,” said the boy,
“and it teaches us the way to get to Heaven
when we die.”’

“Come home with me,’

’ said the priest.

A Story of the Bible.

Some years since, an American ship, sailing
on the South Pacific Ocean, struck a hidden
rock, and speedily filled with water. The cap-
tain and crew, seeing she would soon go to
pieces, took to the long boat and started out to
find land or a friendly vessel. For two weeks
they went on without seeing either sail or shore.
On the morning of the fifteenth day, an island
rimmed with coral reef came into view. As
they drew near this, they saw the people of the
island thronging the beach.

The sight of these people filled their minds
with the greatest anxiety. They knew that

The boy did so, and on entering his study} the inhabitants of many of the Islands were

instruction for the African on his way
home in the desert. We must not

despise small audiences or even a single hearer, | the priest took the poor hoy’s Bible and threw

but gladly preach the Gospel even to ‘‘a con-
gregation of one.”

<> >

Who Made All That?

It is related that when Napoleon Bonaparte
was returning to France from his expedition to
Egypt, a group of French officers, standing one
evening: on the deck of the vessel that bore
them over the sea, entered into a discussion
concerning the existence of a God. Filled
with the infidel spirit of the times they all
denied this truth. It was at length proposed
to ask the opinion of Napoleon on the subject,
who was standing alone, wrapt in silent
thought. On hearing the question, ‘‘Is there
a God?” he raised his hand, and pointing to
the starry sky, simply said, ‘‘Gentlemen, who
made all that?’’

_ Ooo

MEN of prayer are men of ‘power.

it on the fire.

“You shall never read that book again,’
said the priest; ‘‘it is a bad book; and, mind,
I shall not suffer you to go to that school
again.”

The Bible was soon in flames, and the poor
boy at first looked very sad; but as the priest
grew more and more angry, and told him there
was an end of it all now, the boy began to
smile.

‘Why do you laugh?’ asked the priest.

“T can’t help it,” said the boy.

“J insist upon your telling me why you
laugh!’’ said the priest. :

“I can’t help laughing,” replied the boy,
‘for I was thinking your reverence couldn't
burn those ten chapters I’ve got by heart.””

Happy boy! He could say with good King

savages and cruel; and situated as
they were, they were afraid to ven-
ture towards the shore, lest a worse
fate than that which had already
befallen them might be theirs. If
these half-naked natives were only
waiting to murder them, or sacrifice
them to their gods, it was better
for them to still trust the chances of
the sea.

While they were thus debating
the matter, one of the natives dashed
down through the surf, and, holding
a book aloft, cried, in good English,
and with a loud voice, ‘‘Missionary!
Missionary!’’ In an instant their
fears were gone, and they turned
towards the shore. The book they
felt sure was the Bible; and the
missionary had been there, to teach
its blessed truths. Nor were they
disappointed. The natives rushed
to meet them, helped them through
the surf, and, when they had gotten
safely to land, provided for all their
wants with Christian kindness and
love.

Just such assurances does the Bible
ever bring to human hearts. In-
fidels may scoff at it and make light of its
teachings; but to the doubtful and fearing, its
presence is always a delight and its power a
sure defense. God help us to prize His blessed
word more and more. —Y. P. M.

++ oo

“Was it Our Jesus?”

A little three-year old girl stood at the win-
dow one Sunday ‘watching for papa,’ who
was at church. Soon she spied him coming;
as he entered, she said:

“Papa, what did Mr. R—— preach about
this morning?”

Her father replied, ‘“‘He preached about
Jesus.”” ; :

‘“‘Papa, was it our Jesus?”’ she asked.

‘“-Yes,’’ said her father, it was our Jesus.’

The eyes brightened at the thought that
papa’s minister knew her Jesus and spoke

David, ‘Thy Word have I hid in my heart, | about Him to his congregation.

that I might not sin against Thee.”

Do you, dear reader, claim this Jesus as yours?